


El Camino

by NovaPryme



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Badass, Bounty Hunters, Canon-Typical Violence, Clan of Three, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Force-Sensitive Reader, Plot Twists, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Burn, Surprises, The Force, Trauma, razor crest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:14:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28865355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovaPryme/pseuds/NovaPryme
Summary: “So what’s your plan?”He tilted his head slightly before he proceeded to speak.“ Surprise them and then I’ll go from there.”You let out a laugh and shook your head slightly.“ That’s what they all say. Theres thirty mercenaries at the encampment, give or take. And quite frankly, I’m sick of them. We’ll leave early in the morning, that way it won’t be too hot and we’ll have the advantage of checking them out before they even know we’re coming.”“ We?” , the Mandalorian asked, almost mockingly.“Yes, we.”
Relationships: Din Djarin & Reader, Din Djarin/Original Female Character(s), Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You, Mando/ Reader, Mando/ You, the mandalorian/ reader, the mandalorian/ you
Kudos: 12





	1. The Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever Mando-Fic and my plan is to go episode to episode and insert the Reader, but i also have a lot of original story planned in between. So i hope some of you are interested! I will eventually give the Reader a Name because I can’t stand seeing y/n, but of course you’re more than welcome to change it up while you read. I hope you enjoy and would love to hear back from you guys, just please be kind!

The sun was relentlessly beating down on you and the dry wind blew loose strands of your hair into your face. Your hood kept your head hidden from direct sunshine, but it didn’t make the heat any more bearable.  
Soon the sun would set and you could enjoy the few couple of hours a day that it would neither be too hot nor too cold.  
Venturing out into the unforgiving desert during the day wasn’t ideal, but it was also the only time you could track down the Sandcrawler.  
  
A Vaporator had taken damage during a particularly nasty sandstorm a few days ago and now needed replacement parts. As much as the vast landscape of Arvala-7 was monotone and excruciating, it held a certain kind of beauty which you appreciated. It was also nice to get away from the moisture farm once in a while.  
You loved the quiet life and adored the old Ugnaught that had taken you in, but something inside you grew more and more restless.  
  
As the Blurrg you were riding finally made it up the hill, you could make out the many Vaporators and small huts in the distance.  
The whole valley was glowing a beautiful red as the sun slowly set behind the far off mountains.  
It only took you another couple minutes to make it back to the farm, you locked your Blurrg inside it’s pen and gave it a few endearing rubs against it’s huge neck to which it answered with a sweet grunt.  
  
As you made your way toward the hut you noticed the two new Blurrgs that were tied to a pole inside one of the extra pens.  
There were voices coming from inside, you ducked through the small entrance and before you could stand up straight there was a blaster aimed at you.  
You furrowed your eyebrows towards the figure a couple feet in front of you and lifted both arms up into the air. Kuiil was still sitting on his stool glancing in between you and the stranger.  
  
“ Put your blaster down, she works on this farm.” ,he said to the man who began to lower his blaster slowly and sank back down onto the make shift stool.  
  
Kuiil turned to you and waved you over to sit with them.  
  
“ I will guide him to the encampment. He is a Mandalorian.”  
  
“ I can see that.” , you said while putting down your bag full of parts and the bow you had been carrying on your back.  
  
After getting a jug filled with water from the messy cabinet you sat down, took a big gulp, leaned your elbows on your knees and stared at the Mandalorian intently.  
  
“So what’s your plan?”  
  
He tilted his head slightly before he proceeded to speak.  
  
“ Surprise them and then I’ll go from there.”  
  
You let out a laugh and shook your head slightly.  
  
“ That’s what they all say. Theres thirty mercenaries at the encampment, give or take. And quite frankly, I’m sick of them. We’ll leave early in the morning, that way it won’t be too hot and we’ll have the advantage of checking them out before they even know were coming.”  
  
You got up and turned your back on the two men, grabbing your bow that was leaning against the cabinet.  
  
“ We?” , the Stranger asked, almost mockingly.  
  
“Yes, we.” With that you left the hut and marched towards your own small tent to finally get some rest, your blood already rich with anticipation for the new day.


	2. The Spectacle

You were barely able to sleep. The thought of the battle ahead excited you.  
After nearly 6 months on the farm you were itching for some action.  
Sure, there was the occasional bounty hunter or outlaw who thought that they could wreak havoc over the moisture farm before heading to the encampment, but this would be bigger. Much bigger.  
  
Deciding that it was pointless to keep tossing and turning, you got up to get prepared. You walked over to a chair that you had placed a wash bowl on. The pitcher was at the feet of the chair, you reached for it and poured a couple cups into the bowl.  
Everything on this planet was a luxury. You learned early in life that you shouldn’t get attached to material things, since someone would always end up taking it from you. So the few things you did own were even more important to you.  
The splash of water on your face felt amazing, it woke you up and made your senses sharp.  
  
After brushing your teeth and braiding your hair down your back you got up and got dressed.  
Your outfit consisted of a blouse with wide sleeves which gathered at your wrists.  
It used to be white but the sand had slowly turned it a creme color.  
The pants were black and came up to your waist with a row of beautiful brass buttons trailing down your stomach.  
Sitting down on your cot, you put on your boots.  
They were old and branded by many hundreds miles of walking. The black leather had scruffs and marks on it and you were thankful for every day that the laces on the front didn’t snap.  
A small heel helped you keep a good posture and allowed you to be more balanced.  
While getting up you tucked the blouse into your pants and made your way over to the little rug on the floor which had all your weapons and holsters laid out on it neatly.  
  
You bend down to grab your blaster holster , stepping into the ring of brown leather and sliding it up your right leg until it came to a stop on the middle of your thigh.  
The blaster followed after, you examined it shortly before placing it into the holster. Then came the two dagger holsters which were tied around the middle of both your calves, right above your boots.  
Your cape was laying next to the rug with a single brown leather glove on top which had a metal panel in its palm.  
You reached for it, first putting on the glove on your right hand and then pulling the cape over your shoulders in a swift motion.  
It wasn’t very long, barely reaching to your waist and with a big hood attached to the top. The clasp in the front closed with ease and now only one thing was missing.  
  
The bow was already attached to its strap with a single metal arrow fixed to the front of it. Since the bow was made of metal it just snapped into place with magnets sewn into the leather band.  
You swung it over your shoulder and turned to exit the tent.  
The sky was still dark but you could see the lighter blue coming up on the horizon.  
Something shiny caught your eye and you could see the Mandalorian and Kuiil in one of the Blurrg pens, the light of a lantern hung to a pole bouncing off his helmet.  
  
As you got closer you saw his attempt to hold on to a Blurrg which was absolutely not into it.  
When the man hit the ground with a thud and a groan you couldn’t keep the snicker from leaving your mouth.  
Your arms came to rest on the wire encasing the pen and you watched the spectacle. 

“Perhaps if you removed your helmet” Kuiil suggested with a wave of his arm.

“Perhaps he remembered i tried to roast him”, the Mandalorian spoke as he sat up and looked frustrated. 

“This is a female. The males were all eaten during mating”, the Ugnaught explained calmly. 

With some grunts the Mando got back up to his feet to try his luck again.  
After briskly mounting the creature it begun to spin around violently, making the man yelp and grunt before ultimately throwing him back onto the sandy ground.  
He got up quickly and dashed towards Kuiil. 

“I don’t have time for this. Do you have a Landspeeder or Speeder Bike i could hire?” 

Now he stood right in front of Kuiil, who looked extra small next to the towering figure.  
From the months of living with the Ugnaught you knew that he was stubborb, perhaps more than you. 

“ You are a Mandalorian. Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young foal.” , he waved towards the Blurrg which growled like it was challenging the Mandalorian. 

After a few second of intense stares between the two, Mando turned around to carefully make his way over to the two-legged animal.  
He glanced over at you while walking and you gave him a reassuring thumbs up with a wide grin on your face to which he just responded with a small head shake.  
His focus was back on the Blurrg, putting his hands out in front of him in an attempt to calm the beast. 

“Easy. Easy... Now, all right. Settle down.” 

The Blurrg snapped at him and he moved back a few step but kept soothing it with a gentle voice.  
With more assuring words he managed to pet its head gently. The Blurrg seemed to calm down and he swung himself up without the animals protest.  
Kuiil and you exchanged smiles while the Mandalorian proceeded to get a feel for riding at a faster pace. 

“ Well that was quite the spectacle but we should get going now. The sun will come up soon.”, you said and turned to walk toward the pen which held your own Blurrg. 

Mando and Kuiil gave each other a nod before the Ugnaught went to fetch his ride as well. 

Kuiil took the lead, the Mandalorian and you following closely behind him. The adrenaline already made itself noticeable in your blood and you had never felt more ready to kick some ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you’re enjoying it so far. I know it’s a little slow so far but I don’t want to rush the story, i have a bunch of stuff up my sleeve.I would love to hear some thoughts <3


	3. The Metal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it would be a good idea to switch the perspective sometimes to get more of Mandos thoughts and actions in there. I’ll be using the you-perspective when it fits better or gets more ... intimate, if you know what i mean.

He couldn’t help himself, he had to glance over at her every so often.  
The three of you had rode in silence for close to half an hour by now.  
Everything was dipped in the most beautiful colors as the sun crept over the sandy hills and mountains.  
At least that’s what he assumed it looked like, it was damn difficult to see anything through that helmet.  
His mind was stewing over the girl riding her Blurrg to his left.  
What was her deal? Was she always this cocky?  
She had barely spoken two sentences to him, didn’t ask questions but was so determined to help him with the encampment.  
He knew it wasn’t for him, he could only assume how bothersome it must be to have bounty hunters pass through all the time.  
Finally he worked up the courage to turn to her; her gaze aimed straight ahead like he didn’t even exist.

“You think you’ll get far with one arrow?”, he really didn’t mean to sound mocking, it just blurted out of him.  
Her head jerked and turned towards him like he had just pulled her out of a deep thought. 

“It’ll do.” 

Her head spun back to look forward, making her braid swing from one side of her back to the other softly.  
After a couple seconds of silence she glanced back at him, only to find his dead-pan stare still on her.  
A soft sigh escaped her lips before she looked at him again. 

“He always comes back to me.” 

Her gloved hand reached over her shoulder and snapped the metal arrow off the bow. She flicked it into her other hand casually and let the arrowhead hit the metal plate that was sewn into the palm of her glove.  
The sound was unmistakable, branded into his brain ever since he was a foundling.  
His spine stiffened ever so slightly and it didn’t go unnoticed by the girl. 

“Beskar?” 

It sounded more like a statement than a question. 

“Only the tip and the plate. There’s a a ring of tiny guided missile thrusters on the bottom that go where ever i tag a target with my bow. I can take out up to three people with one shot; if they are close enough to each other of course. The plate in my glove emits a tracking beacon so it always finds its way back to me.” 

The girl talked about her weapon like it was a dear friend, like they had been through so much together.  
She reached back behind her and the arrow snapped into place with a clang. 

“I know Beskar is the metal of your people. I’ve heard the stories.-”

A small pause filled the air she tried to find the right words to use.

“- But if you try to takes this from me, i will end you.” 

She sounded absolutely serious, luckily she couldn’t look under his helmet to see the smirk that had formed on his face. If she did see it, he was sure that she would be ready to throw hands.

“It’s okay. You can keep it.” He said while turning to look at the Ugnaught leading the party. 

“For now.” 

The girl threw him a mean glare with her brows furrowed. After another period of silent trotting and jumping over the large cracks in the unforgiving desert, the curiosity got the best of her.

“So what’s that bounty all about. Seems like a real prize if so many people are keen to fight a whole village for it.” 

The Mandalorian stayed completely still, much to the dismay of the girl who was trying unsuccessfully to find some clues in his body language. 

“I don’t know much. Just their age.”

His voice was deep, sending a shiver down her spine.  
She knew that was all she was going to get but it didn’t matter now, they were just about the reach the ridge that would give them the opportunity to check out the encampment.  
By now the sun was over the mountains and the heat had already started to reflect from the planets vast landscape.  
Kuiil had halted his Blurrg and the two came to a stop on either side of him.  
He pointed over the ridge.

“That is where you’ll find your quarry.”

The Mandalorian tried to hand a pouch of credits to the Ugnaught but he denied with a shake of his head and a stoping hand. 

“Please. You deserve this.”, he tried to plead, by now he should know the stubbornness of Kuiil. 

“Since these ones arrived, this territory has been an endless stream of mercenaries seeking reward and bringing destruction.”, Kuiil explained. 

“Then why did you guide me.” The Mandalorian sounded confused. 

“They do not belong here. Those that live here come to seek peace. There will be no peace until they’re gone.” 

They kept going back and forth and it seemed like Mando was satisfied with the Ugnaughts reason to help him.  
Kuiil turned around throwing a nod the girls way, which she returned, before heading back towards the distant moisture farm.  
He really wasn’t much of a fighter, she was relieved he didn’t stick around to possibly get hurt.  
The Mandalorian and the girl swung themselves off the Blurrgs backs and marched to the top of the ridge together, ducking down, then crawling the last few feet to be able to peek over the top.  
He pulled out a small tube out of his belt and took a closer look at the encampment. 

“What do you see?” , she whispered intrigued, he could hear the excitement in her voice. 

It really made him hope that behind that cocky facade was an actual fighter because it wasn’t looking too good down in the Valley. 

“I can see about 10 people outside. Heavily armed. The rest is most likely insid-“

“Look!” She interrupted him as a IG droid awkwardly walked into view.

“Oh no. Damn bounty droid.”

Within a few seconds the Mandalorian was on his feet, reaching his arm out to pull the girl up.  
He didn’t anticipate how light she was and neither did she expect the force with which he had pulled her up.  
She bonked right into his chest and he placed his big gloved hand on the small of her back so that she didn’t bounce back on the ground.  
Her big eyes pierced straight through his black visor and if he didn’t know any better, he would’ve been convinced that she was staring straight into his eyes.  
No one knew what to say or do, the awkward moment interrupted by blaster fire only seconds later.  
Both their heads spun around, looking at the IG droid which had begun striking down mercenaries relentlessly. 

“Shit.” Mando grunted and turned to make his way down the ridge. 

After his hand had left her back, it took a moment to find her composure. She shook her head to banish all thoughts that didn’t involve battle. The girl was right behind the Mandalorian now, ready for whatever was to happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don’t know if the bow makes any sense for Star Wars but i was really inspired by Yondus ( Guardians of the Galaxy) arrow and well what can i say, I’ve always been a sucker for archers. 
> 
> This is what i imagine it looking like, if you’re interested:
> 
> https://aminoapps.com/c/star-wars-rp-amino/page/item/stalker-bow/ERka_a2pHLI5dxQNp7JQnZk0wwjmw25J38d
> 
> As always, i hope you enjoyed it so far <3


	4. The Battle

It was hard to speed down the sandy ridge without slipping and sliding the rest of the way.  
Screams and blasters echoed through the valley.  
Your hands tingled, ready to spring into action. Immediately after making it to the bottom you pulled your bow from the strap on your back that it was snapped onto, aligning the nock of the arrow with the bowstring, ready to shoot.  
It was muscle memory by now, you didn’t have to think about it for even a second.  
With the press of a button on the bows grip, a small translucent red screen unfolded on the bow which you would use to aim and tag targets with.  
The Mandalorian was leading through the alleyways of the encampment, his stealth surprised you, you didn’t think someone with so much heavy armor could possibly be so sneaky.  
Everything was quiet when Mando stepped out into the open area between the houses. 

“IG Unit! Stand down!”, he yelled, sounding irritated.

The droid rotated and before any of you could react, shot his blaster at Mando who went flying backwards into some red barrels with a grunt.  
Your eyes widened and instinctively you stepped back and pushed your back against a support beam of the building behind you, shielding you from the IG droid.  
The Mandalorian was laying to your right, grunting and cursing under his breath, leaning on his arm and fumbling to get the tracking fob out of his belt.  
He held it up high in front of him and proceeded to yell at the droid.

“I’m in the guild!”

More groaning echoed through the modulator of his helmet and when the droid didn’t continue to shoot and instead explained that it though it was the only one on this assignment you decided it was safe for you to come out.  
You held your hands, including the bow, high and the droid aimed at you with his blaster. 

“She’s with me.”, Mando exclaimed, the droids blaster sunk. 

He grabbed your hand which you had held out in front of him and pulled himself up on you. A short nod let you know that he was alright. 

“So much for the element of surprise”,he muttered more to himself than you or the droid.

They argued over the reward for a bit and for the first time you had to wonder, what or how much it was. It had to be quiet extraordinary.  
After agreeing to share the reward, Mando suggested to work on a plan together but was interrupted when a red blast hit the droid in front of you two, making it stumble forward.

“Alert. Alert. Alter.”, the droid repeated again and again.

Without thinking you whipped around to face the direction of the shooter, clutched the arrow between your pointer and middle finger, pulled the bowstring back tightly, almost meeting the soft flesh of your cheek.  
The mercenary stood on top of a building across the open space, aiming his blaster directly at you now.  
As soon as he was in the center of the little red screen, you pushed the button just below it, locking him as a target and released the bowstring.  
Your eyes followed to arrow that made it’s way towards the man with a whistle.  
The cry of the mercenary filled the air and the three of you watched him tumble down the roof and hit the hard ground with a thud.  
Eagerly you stretched your right arm out away from you, your gloved hand clutching around the arrow when it made it’s way back to you.  
This felt good. Better than you wanted to admit to yourself.  
Mando hadn’t taken his eyes off you the entire time, awe struck he gazed at you, catching the small smile that flooded your face after catching your arrow.  
As someone who’s religion involved weapons and battle, this sight sure was ... something. 

His thoughts were quickly interrupted when a thick metal door across from the your group opened and a bunch of men stormed out, shooting at all of you continuously.  
The Mandalorian grabbed your upper arm harshly and pulled you out of the way, shielding you with his body, starting you shoot back with the blaster he had pulled out of his holster.  
You readjusted the arrow, tagging two people this time, sending the arrow across the area and back to you in a matter of seconds.  
IG had joined in now, shooting mercenaries from buildings and covering the two of you as you made your way towards the big metal door behind which you suspected the bounty.  
It almost felt natural, fighting with Mando, like he knew what you were going to do and vice versa.  
You managed to hit three men this time but before your arrow could return to your hand, a door behind you opened and a furious Nikto stormed towards you.  
He threw you to the ground, the sheer force making the both of you roll a couple times until he ended up on top of you.  
Thick fingers wrapped around your throat; your hand fumbling to grasp a hold of your blaster, pulling it out of your holster and pushing it right into the aliens rib cage before firing.  
The weight of his body collapsing onto you knocked the air out of your lungs and you hastily tried to push him off of you. You crawled backwards to find shelter from the ongoing blaster fire behind another support beam.  
After a few raggedy breathes, you placed your blaster back in it’s holster and pushed yourself up on the cold concrete that your back had rested on. You extended your arm again to catch the arrow which had been flying around without destination.  
Mando and the droid had ducked behind an old landspeeder, you could feel his gaze on you when you turned to look at him.

“You alright?”, he shouted, his voice sounding concerned. 

“Yes—“, you exclaimed, throwing a nod his way before peeking out behind the concrete to get a look at the people shooting at them.

“— Cover me!” 

And they did just that, throwing their arms over the speeder and shooting blindly.  
You stepped out from behind your hide and locked onto the three mercenaries that were the closest to Mando and IG with your bow.  
The familiar whistle filled the air as you swiftly made your way over to the broken speeder.  
You kneeled next to the droid and caught the arrow over your head. 

The Mandalorian turned to the both of you and pointed his beeping tracking fob towards the huge rusty metal door just twenty feet from your group. 

“He’s in there.” 

“Affirmative”, the droid agreed. 

Mando looked at you and you nodded in unison. IG stepped out first, giving you two cover while you made a run for it.  
After reaching the porch area of the building with the big red door, you managed to strike another two men down with your bow before they were all hiding out of reach for you.  
You pulled back and bumped into Mando who had done the same. 

“What now?”

You looked up at him, waiting for an answer, but IG spoke before he could. 

“It appears we are trapped. I will initiate self destruct sequencing.”, it declared calmly. 

Your eyes widened, looking at the beeping and blinking detonator which emerged from it’s chest. 

“Whoa, you’re what?”

The Mandalorian turned towards the droid, his voice raspy. 

“Manufacturers protocol dictates i cannot be captured. I must self-destruct.”, it explained, the detonator beeping faster now. 

“Do not self-destruct. Cover me!” 

Without hesitation IG stepped out and began shooting, the beeping fading away as he disarmed self-destruct.  
You snapped your bow back onto the strap on your back and pulled your blaster, starting to fire around the corner of the wall that was covering you and Mando.  
He hurried over to the control pad on the wall while shooting aimlessly into the open area that was filled with all kinds of different aliens now.  
The bounty droid managed to hit a good handful of them, you took down a couple, but for every mercenary hitting the sandy ground, two new ones emerged from the buildings.  
A red blast hit right into the control panel where the Mandalorian was still fidgeting unsuccessfully and he stumbled backwards until his back hit concrete again.  
IG and you stepped back too, overwhelmed with their firepower. 

“Theres too many! They got us pinned.”, Mando blurted out, his modulator hitching from the volume of his voice.

He looked over at you, as if to find an answer to this unfortunate situation. 

“I will initiate self-destruct.”, the beeping of the detonator returning from IGs chest. 

You rolled your eyes at the droid and peeked out behind the wall again when your eyes landed on the huge levitating blaster cannon there were hauling in. 

“Do not self-destruct! We’re shooting our way out.” 

Mando turned around confidently before he as well spotted the cannon.  
You wish you could’ve seen the look on his face but now was not the time to think about such things. 

“Get back—“ you began to shout out to them when the canon fire started hitting the column they were now standing behind again. 

“Beginning self-destruct countdown.”, IG stated yet again. 

“NO!”, Mando and you shouted angrily at the droid simultaneously. 

The cannon was slowly chipping away at the concrete wall that was keeping the Mandalorian and IG safe. 

“Draw their fire!”, you yelled towards IG who did just that. 

The distraction gave you enough time to grab your bow and lock onto the head of the mercenary operating the cannon before sending the arrow on it’s way.  
The cannon fire stopped immediately and you saw Mando shoot a fibercord whip towards the blaster from the corner of your eye.  
He pulled it towards himself and jumped on it as it turned; opening fire onto the remaining enemies.  
After a full turn on the blaster cannon, he stepped down and silence flooded your ears.  
You stepped out from behind the wall and placed your hands on your hips, looking over the countless body’s laying lifeless scattered around. 

“Holy crap”, you said more to yourself than anyone else. 

Mando patted your shoulder slightly before turning to help IG get up from where it was laying.  
They chatted with each other but you weren’t paying attention.  
You had fought many fights throughout your life but what happened here was on a different level.  
It was odd, you tired to locate the guilt inside you but you couldn’t find any.  
You knew that these people weren’t good and you had locked away the feeling of remorse a long time ago. Killing was how you had survived and now you had grown accustomed to it. 

“Well, now we just need to get the door open.”

The Mandalorians voice snapped you back to reality and you looked at the door, your eyebrows furrowed.  
The droid and Mando turned to look at the blaster cannon and you were confused for a second before it dawned on you. 

“Oh, come on.”, you pleaded, feeling like a mother trying to keep the children from doing something extraordinarily stupid. 

Before you could protest even more, Mando swung himself on top of the cannon again and began firing at the door.  
The sudden loud noise after the quiet made you flinch and your forearm came up to shield your eyes from the bright blaster fire.  
After a minute the door collapsed inwards and the smoke settled shortly after.  
You were really hoping that he didn’t just shoot or squish the bounty that you had fought so hard for.  
Mando and the droid made their way towards the opening but you stayed behind to make sure there were no mercenaries left that would try and ambush your group.  
You heard a blaster shot followed by Mando asking if there was anyone else into the dark room.  
It stayed silent.  
Scanning the bodies laying around, you walked over to one of them and examined his weapons.  
This would be a good opportunity to pick up a new one.  
None of them seemed worth your while though, so you causally strode back to the opening that Mando and IG had disappeared into when you heard another blaster go off.  
Your heart sunk, you picked up your speed and hurried inside, hoping the Mandalorian was okay.  
When you stepped into the dark, murky room you stopped abruptly when you saw IG laying on the ground behind Mando, fumes and smoke seeping out of the droids head.  
You could clearly see the charred exit hole where the blast had hit it. 

“What happened?”, you asked as confusion took over you. 

The Mandalorian stayed quiet, his back facing you and he looked completely still.  
You made your way over to his side and had to stop yet again when you saw what was in front of him.  
Big droopy eyes looked up at you, small cooing sounds echoing in the otherwise silent room. 

“What in the world... you said you knew his age, are you really out here hunting down two-years-olds?” 

You couldn’t believe what you were seeing and anger filled you, making your ears and cheeks burn.

“They said he was fifty.” 

From his voice you could hear the disbelief in his voice which made you calm down a bit.  
At least he didn’t willingly hunt for a child.  
You watched his hand stretch out towards the little being and it took his pointer finger into his tiny hand.  
Both of your heads turned towards each other and you had never wished to see the expression on his face as much as you did now.

This was definitely not what either of you had signed up for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first time i ever tried to write an action scene, i hope it wasn’t too confusing! Feedback is as always welcomed <3


	5. The Wound

At least five minutes must’ve gone by before one of you dared to speak again. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t advert your eyes from the small being in front of you.   
Sure, you had never seen a creature like it before but that wasn’t the only thing that fascinated you. There was something about it, a feeling—

“We should start heading back, who knows how many more are coming for it.”, Mando spoke, ripping you out of your thought process. 

You cleared your throat and nodded in agreement. The Mandalorian connected the floating crib the baby was sitting in to his vambrace and the three of you made your way towards the ridge silently. 

When you stepped outside it took a couple seconds for your eyes to adjust back to the brightness. You had almost forgotten the countless bodies littering the area and you turned to the child, closing the egg shaped pod.   
Mando had stopped in his tracks and mustered you curiously, head titled slightly. 

“This is no sight for a child”, you stated. 

He gave you a short nod and continued walking, slow enough for you to catch up and walk beside him. 

“You ...did good.” 

The tone of his voice surprised you, sending a soft blush to your face. 

“Thank you. You did as well.”, you smiled at him shyly. 

You could feel him ponder next to you, probably contemplating if he should asked more questions and ultimately the curiosity won. 

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” 

You contemplated for a moment about how much you should tell him before proceeding to speak. 

“I had a mentor. A long time ago.” That’s all you were going to give him, talking about your past wasn’t a topic you liked to go into too much detail about. 

He just returned a soft hum, like he understood your reasons for not elaborating. You had just exited the encampment and turned again to open the pod floating behind you.   
The child’s ears perked up excitedly when he saw Mando and you looking at him. 

“Sorry buddy, didn’t want you to see all that.” 

You gave his nose a soft push with your pointer finger and his mouth opened in an adorable smile, showing tiny white teeth. You chuckled and shook your head slightly. How was something so small, green and wrinkly so cute? 

You continued to climb up the ridge, sand slipping under you feet making it difficult not to fall. Once you reached the top you almost walked into Mando, who had stopped right at the top, hands on his hips. You stepped to the side and froze.

The Blurrgs were gone. You groaned and looked up into the blue sky over your head in annoyance. 

“They must’ve gotten scared by all the noise.”, you explained to the Mandalorian next to you, even though you were sure he had figured that out himself. 

“Well. We’re going to have to take the canyons, the cracks are too wide to jump.” , you kept on rambling and Mando grunted in response. 

The walk was quiet, no one was speaking, only the occasional nosies from the child behind you. It made you wonder how long he had been trapped in that pod.

It was nice being shielded from the sun but being stuck in the canyon gave you an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. 

You were deep in your thoughts again when the Mandalorians hand suddenly reached out to stop you from marching any further. His gloved hand remained on your thigh just a second longer than you thought was necessary, but you didn’t mind. Everything was quiet, too quiet. The Mandalorians head turned from side to side and you closed your eyes, trying to pick up on any sign of a threat. 

Mandos hand reached to his blaster and you pulled both your daggers from their holsters, spreading you feet so you had a better grip to the ground beneath you. Time seemed to flow slower now, your ears pounding from the blood that was shooting through your veins. The wind whistles and blew a few strands of hair into your face, sending a shiver down your spine. 

Before your brain could fully comprehend what was happening, two Niktos jumped towards Mando and you. They had huge battle axes in their hand, your eyes widened and you stepped aside just in time before the axe hit the spot you had just stood on. 

The alien turned to you, a low growl coming from its throat. It swung the axe over its head again and you ducked forward and pushed one of your daggers straight in its guts before it even managed to build the momentum to hit you. That was your advantage, you were faster. 

You saw Mando fight with another alien and push the baby out of harm way. Three more Niktos stepped out from behind the sandy rocks. One of them started running towards you, making you instinctively put one foot behind you to brace yourself for the impact. 

Just as another axe was coming down on your head, you held up both daggers, forming a X-shape and caught the heavy weapon just inches away from your face. You knew the Nikto was stronger than you, so you pushed your arms up as hard as you could and it gave you the opportunity to lunge your foot forwards. The cracks of its knee breaking and the following cries of pain filled your ears. The creature sagged down in front of you and you shoved your dagger into its chest, right where you assumed the heart would be. 

A weird noise startled you, making you turn around only to see the green child look up at you curiously. You sighted heavily, an apologetic smile on your face. Just as you spun around again to see if Mando was doing alright, another Nikto was rushing towards you. You braced yourself, inhaling deeply but before it got a chance to leap at you it disintegrated right in front of your eyes with a puff. 

As the particles form its body and clothes slowly fell to the ground, you could see the Mandalorian with a long rifle in his hands panting heavily. Everything was back to the eerie quietness now, except both your puffing to regain composure and the beeping tracking fob that had fallen to the ground from the Nikto which was nothing more than dust now. 

“Shit... You okay?”, you still hadn’t caught your breath all the way, but you just sensed that Mando was stiffer than before. It might have something to do with the fact you had just been ambushed though. 

“I’m fine. We have to keep moving”

He turned and started marching along the shady canyon, the child’s pod moving closely behind him again. You furrowed your eyebrows but didn’t push it any further. 

It must’ve been hours of silently walking along each other before you suggested to rest for today. The sunlight was vanishing quickly behind distant mountains and you knew that there was no point of continuing during the night. Too many ways to break a leg or worse without proper lighting. 

“We should settle down for the night, we’ll continue in the morning and it wont be too far to the camp.”

You had spotted a rock formation that would give you enough cover and shield you from intrusive eyes. The ground was still warm from the sunlight, it felt amazing to finally rest your legs. 

“I’m not going back to the camp. I’ll head straight to my ship.”, Mando replied before sinking to the ground as well, his back and head leaning against the rock behind him.

“Then I’ll bring you straight to your ship.”, you declared, sounding more disappointed than you had intended. 

Today had been the most exciting thing to have happened to you in a long time, it ignited a flame inside you that had been locked away. The child was mustering the both of you and you leaned over to pick it up and set it on the ground. It was immediately happy to be able to wobble around and burry its tiny hands in the sand. 

“So who hired you? And what do they want with it?” 

You tried your hardest to find a glimpse of his face through the black visor, but all you saw was the warped reflection of the sunset. He was completely still and you doubted he would even give you an answer. 

“They’re ex-imperial. And i don’t ask questions. Principle of the guild.” 

His voice sounded drained, he shifted to take off his chest plate and pulled out a soldering pen from his belt. The sparks were flying which seemed to amuse the child immensely. It went on to wobble towards the Mandalorian, arms stretched out in front of it, when you grabbed its tiny body and pulled it on your lap.

“Whoa there little one. I know it looks fun but you don’t want to get one of those sparks in your eyes. I speak from experience.” 

The green creature didn’t protest and snuggled up to you, taking in all the affection it could get. It broke your heart, when had been the last time it felt cared for? And now it was on its ways to be handed to some Imps, you could feel yourself growing more anxious at the thought. 

Mando laid down his chestplate next to him and pulled out another tool from his belt. You couldn’t tell what it was before you heard the familiar sizzling. Your eyes furrowed when the Mandalorian started cauterizing a wound on his left arm that you just now noticed. It was crusted with red gooey blood stretching from one side of his upper arm to the other. 

“You did get hurt—“, you accused him. “— why didn’t you say so?” 

He didn’t respond to you, there were only grunts sounding through the modulator as he began closing the wound. The child on your lap mustered him and got up to walk towards him again. This time you didn’t stop it. Its tiny three-fingered hands landed on the Mandalorians armored thigh, his head looking up and cooing at the man like he was trying to ask him what he was doing. 

Mando tilted his head at the child and lowered the tool in his hand. He sighted heavily, picking up the kid and placing it back in the pod. The metal lid closed with a mechanical sound and before you could say anything he was back to working on his arm. 

You couldn’t bare watching him in pain like this so pushed yourself of the ground, walked around the floating pod and kneeled down in front of his wounded arm. When your hand landed on his wrist his movements halted immediately and the sizzling stopped. His helmet turned towards your face, but neither of you spoke. It was clear what you were trying to do, but you knew he was contemplating it in his mind. When he continued to stay quiet you took the cauterizing pen from his hand and gave him a nod, lips pressed together tightly. 

His hand came to rest on his leg, but his gaze was fixed on your face. You could see his chest rising and falling with tense breathes, he was preparing himself. With your left hand you took hold of his upper arm, feeling the muscles underneath his clothes flex under your grip.

You inhaled sharply and turn on the tool in your hand. His stare made you more nervous than you had anticipated, working under pressure had never been your preferred way of working. With a hum, the pen came back to life and you shuffled closer to him to get a better view of the injury. The noise that resonated from the cauterizing pen meeting flesh was gut turning. You tried your best to work fast but thoroughly at the same time. Mandos chest was heaving and there were occasional groans, but his helmet didn’t move. 

There wasn’t much left, barely an inch towards the inside of his arm. His hand shot out from under you and his fingers dug into the skin of your lower thigh. You pulled the tool away from him slightly and turned your head with an apologetic look on your face.

“I’m almost done.”, you reassured him and went back to work. His grasp tightened again when the cauterizing pen made contact with his skin, but loosened when you finished your task just seconds later. 

“Thank you.”

His voice sounded breathless and his hand pulled away after remaining on your leg for just a bit longer. All you gave him was a smile before turning your head to look towards the horizon, which was drenched in beautiful streaks of oranges, reds and purples. 

“You never told me your name.”, you said without looking back at him, the sunset occupying your eyes. 

“You never told me yours.”, he stated cockily. 

Your head whipped around in response, reminding you of your hair that was still braided and bounced on your back. Of course he was going to make this more difficult than it had to be. With a head tilt and an irritated look on your face you sighed.

“Nova.” 

Your eyebrows were raised in anticipation, but he remained quiet, visor still trained on your face. When you realized that he wasn’t going to say anything you got up with a scoff and made your way over to the place on the ground that would be your bed for tonight. 

“Get some rest, we’ll leave at first light.”, you said whilst laying down on your back, one hand under your head, the other resting on your stomach. 

The exhaustion from the long day washed over you and it didn’t take long for your mind to drift away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i did some digging and i actually couldn’t find any rule or law that forbids a Mandalorian to tell people their name, i think Din just chooses not to. If I’m mistaken, I’m truly sorry but I’m going to treat it like it’s not against `the way`. Just keep that in mind for future chapters <3


End file.
